Elections Panel to Hold Public Hearing in Portland

The public is being invited to speak at a hearing before a panel that’s looking at how Maine’s election process can be improved. The Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine is holding a public hearing at the Portland Public Library on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The five-member panel was appointed in May to study voter participation, the voter registration system and the conduct of elections in Maine. The public hearings are being held so the commission can better understand how Mainers view the state’s voting process and how they think it can be improved. The commission’s first hearing was held last week in Augusta. Additional hearings are planned for Bangor, Farmington, Lewiston, Wells, Presque Isle and Machias. The commission will report to the Legislature by February.